Producers steal my scenes into movies - Nkansah

Popular Ghanaian actor Kojo Nkansah also known as Lilwin in an interview with Flex newspaper, last Saturday disclosed that some movie producers and directors are using shots of movies he has done in the past to reproduce several movies.

“Some producers pay actors for shooting whiles those who cannot pay go for an old shoot for a different movie, put together and reproduce a new movie. Some of these things are not helping the industry. Using four to five years shots to reproduce a new movie is not the best but when I complain, they will tag me as arrogant.”

According to him, when he approached them they insulted him and they are not ready to listen to his lamentation.

“There are some producers I shot just a movie for but after the shoot, they have reproduced six movies out of it. Also, I shot a movie for a particular producer which has eighteen scenes and after releasing the movie, he has produced series out of it on UTV,” he added.

He says there are a lot of producers doing that but Nakwadus is the one who is over doing it and he is irritated by his behavior.

“If they know they can’t pay, they shouldn’t do that because they end up deceiving the public, destroying the brand and spoiling the movie business as a whole. Those who don’t employ the actors and actress to act for them and take old shots will lose and will not make any profit,” he groused.

Lilwin added that he won’t arrest or take anyone to court but would leave them to God because if they try destroying his image, God will speak for him.Kwadwo-Nkansah-Liwin

When asked if he was the only victim, he said actors like Kwaku Manu, Akrobeto, Kyeiwaa and others have all gone through it before but he got to know of this because he usually buys all the movies he stars in to know what he did right and wrong, so if he buys a movie in which he didn’t shoot and finds himself in it, he will definitely find out.

“Nakwadus hasn’t helped me in any way that can give him the authority to misuse my image. He feels nobody can do anything to him since he sees himself as one of those in authority. I won’t shoot a movie for him again because if I shot a movie for him and he can do this, then he will probably reproduce more if I continue shooting for him,” the comic actor further noted.

In an interview with Nakwadus he responded that: “I used him for a movie some years ago and now am not ready to pay for the unreasonable amount of five thousand cedis he charges. I used Lilwin for a movie and I paid him off, so I can use the videos for whatever I want since I have paid him. He can’t do anything to me. What is his problem? The movie is my intellectual property and I can decide what to do with it.”

According to Abdul Razak Amissah, who is Lilwin’s manager, when the issue came up, he reported to the film association. The Late Nii Odoi Mensah, Solomon Sampah, Bandex and other high profiled producers promised to talk to Nakwadus so that they can settle issues amicably but they didn’t like the idea.

“We even arrested one producer but we were called by some producers to solve the issue. If they know they can’t pay, we just have to sit down and strike a deal than to be doing things contrarily,” Razak explained. Speaking with movie producer Bandex, he said he was part of the arbitration at the copyright office with copyright officer Auntie Yaa, Kwaku Manu, Akrobeto, Nakwadus and Lilwin’s manager.

“The Legislative Instrument (LI) was read to them by the copy right administrator. Even though you have paid an actor to feature in a movie, if you want to use any of his images for any other thing apart from what you contracted them for, then you have to inform the person,” Bandex spelt out.